Woman&#39;s shoulder-supported undergarment



-May 14, 1929. H, D N 1,712,776

WOMAN'S SHOULDER SUPPORTED UNDERGARMENT Filed Dec. 27, 1926 .5. Fig Invaniow:

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by S 6 med W x ltd Patented May 14, 1929.

barren STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HARRIET L. REDMOND, 0F NEEDHAM, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNUR TO THE WILLIAM CARTER COMPANY, OF NEEDHAM HEIGHTS, MASSACHUSETTS, A. CORPORATION 01' IVIASSAGHUSETTS.

Application filed December 27, 1926. SeriaI NO. 157,067.

This invention relates to womens shoulder-supported undergarments.

In order that the principle of the invention may be readily understood, a single embodiment thereof is disclosed in the accompanying drawing, wherein- Fig. lis a frontelevation oil? a womans shouldensupported undergarment havii'lg the invention applied thereto;

Fig. 2 is a detail in front elevation upon a larger scale;

Fig. 3 is a view in vertical section of the construction shown in Fig. 2;

Fi 4 is a vertical section upon the line l-l of Fig. 2;

Fig. 5 is a transverse section upon the line 55 oi Fig. 3; and

Fig. 6 is a detail in vertical section, similar to Fig. 3, but representing the elastic strip tor the shoulder strap as broken away to show the buttonhole for inserting the underarm elastic.

.lhis invention may be applied to any womans shoulder-supported undcrgarment, as, for example, a vest, slip, etc.

An important object of the invention is to provide means for holding the garment snugly in position at the arms, whiledes1rably leaving the same relatively free at both front and back, thereby avoiding the pres sure of confining means.

Referring to that embodiment of the invention herein disclosed, the body oil? the garment indicated at 1 in 1, 2 and 8.

may, oil course, he oi? any suitable material, such as silk, rayon, cotton, or any suitable combination thereof, and the garment may he of any suitable length, it being desirable that it be of the type that is supported by shoulder straps or hands. The upper edge oi the garment is provided with a hem 2, which desirably extends entirely about the same, although within the scope and purpose of the invention the hem may extend merely under the arms. For uniformlty 0'1? iinish, however, I prefer to have the hem extend entirely about the upper edge of the garment. The shoulder straps are indicated at 3-3 in the several figures. These shoulder straps are preferably double walled; that is to say, they are adapted to receive therein an elastic strip or like means for holding the shoulder strap in place. It is unnecessary .15 sewed or otherwise secured to the body of the shoulder strap 3, and desirably by or-.

namental stitching as there indicated. Obviously such elastic strip I may be employed instead of the rear basal portion of the shoulder strap, or at both front and rear, or throughout a greater portion of the shoulder strap. Not only for economy, but for appearance, I have found it best to confine the elastic means to a basal portion or the shoulder strap, and I have found that so constructed the strap is held, tightly in position upon the shoulder.

In order to hold the garment tigl'itly or firmly in position, at the upper edge, and especially under the arms, while desirably leaving the chest and back relatively free, I provide an elastic strip 6 extending under each arm within the hem 2, and desirably from basal portion to basal portion oi'ieach shoulder strap, as clearly indicated in l igs. 2, {land 6. Each elastic strip or piece 6 is intemled to be readily IQI'IlOVitlJlO, for replacement, as, tor example, after the garment has been laundered several times. lVhile for this purpose I may provide any suitable constructitm, I desirably Form. in the upper portion of each garment directly under the ends of: each elastic strip 4; two slits 7. These slits are formed. in the hem 2 at what I term the shoulder strap areas. Said slits are of sntlicient length to" permit the insertion in the hem 2 of the elastic strips or pieces 6, and said slits are preferably worked or reinforced with threads, as indicated in Fig. 6, so as to prevent tearing; or enlargement of the slits when inserting the elastic strips or pieces 6. After the strips or pieces 6 are inserted, they are secured in position by a line of stitching S at each end, as indicated in Figs. 3 and 6. When it is desired to IGlTIOVQ the strips or pieces 6, the lines of stitching 8 can be readily sever-ed either from the outside or through the slits 7, and the strips or pieces 6 are then readily removed through either one of the adjacent slits 7.

If desired, an ornamental bow or the like may be, provided as indicated at 9 in Figs. 1 and 2 at the base of each shoulder strap.

Each elastic strip or piece 6 is less in its unexpanded length than the distance from basal end to basal end of each shoulder strap, so that when the elastic is not expanded, it puckers or gathers the material, as indicated in Figs. 1, 2, 3 and 6. Each elastic strip or piece 6 is of. such nature as readily to give or adapt itself to the movements of the wearer. Also each elastic strip at is secured in its shoulder strap 3 while such elastic strip is extended, so that when the said elastic strips '4: return'to their normal conditions, they pucker or gather'the materialof the lower ends of the shoulder straps or of whatever part of the shoulderstrap the said elastic strips 4 are applied to. p

The elastic means or st-rips under the arms also serve the very important function of preventing the garment from sagging under the arms, as it is very apt to do as heretofore constructed. Therefore, fwhether or not shoulder straps be present, the elastic means under thefarmsare of great importance and utility in preventing sagging under the arms.

While I have defined my invention as applied to a shoulder-supported womans undergarment, it is to be understood that the shoulder straps 3 mayin some cases be omitted, in which case the garment would or might be supported merely by reason of the presence of the elastic strips or pieces 6 under each arm, which strips or pieces I have described as readily removable through the slits or buttonhole like openings 7 Therefore the twofeatures 0f the invention as hereinbefore described are or may be capable of separate use, but they peculiarly cooperate to hold the garment in position at the shoulders and in the preferred embodiment of the invention I employ both features in the same garment.

By employing the described elastic means under the arms only, I avoid the necessity of using a draw string at the top of the garment.

Having thus described one illustrative embodiment of the invention, it is to be under stood that although specific terms are em ployed, they are used in a generic and descriptive sense and not for purposes of limitatiointlie scope of the invention being set forth in the following claim.

Claim:

A womans umlergarmeiui, such as a shirt or vest, adapted to be wholly supported at or closely adjacent to the shoulders, said garment being unconfined exceln'ing at the upper end and having at its upper edge a hem entirely encircling the garment, said hem having two shoulder straps secured thereto, each shoulder strap having elastic provisions at the hem and said hem between the two ends of each shoulder strap having an elastic strip inserted therein for ready removal, each of said strips being stitched at its ends in such manner as to permit of ready severance of the stitches, and said hem having at the base of each shoulder strap at least one slit'in proximity to an end of the stri whereby when the stitching of each elastic strip has been removed, said strip can be withdrawn through such slit.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification.

HARRIET L. REDMOND. 

